Smoke Alarms & Dog Training?

The fire department is always reminding us to test all smoke alarms every time we “spring forward” and “fall back” for Daylight Savings Time. A+ Dog Training would like to encourage you to also take this opportunity to go through your fire drill plans with your entire family, including you dog!

The Lee Family Fire Drill with the Dog:

Tom is in charge of Ammo’s crate & backpack if possible.

Ammo sits by the front door once he hears the smoke alarm.

GiGi is in charge of finding & leashing Ammo.

Everyone meets across the street if we’re separated.

Of course, there are other things that we are in charge of taking with us if it’s possible. But I just wanted to give you an example of how to include your dog in your plan in case of an emergency. And yes, you saw that right – we train our dog, Ammo, to sit by the door whenever we test our smoke alarm. At our new house, we have six which means that he works on this behavior 12 times a year. And why not? We teach children what to do in case there is a fire, we might as well also teach our dog to meet us at a particular door when the smoke alarm goes off.

One time, the smoke alarm battery was dying early in the morning and I was asleep in the bedroom with the door closed. Ammo heard the beep of the smoke alarm go off every one minute. I’m sure he sat and waited by the front door but because no one was leashing him and praising him for the behavior and the beeping persisted, he decides to whine and nudge the bedroom door until I woke up. At first, I didn’t understand why he’d bother me (since Tom had already fed him before his morning trainings) but then I heard the smoke alarm beep once as Ammo trotted over to the front door to wait for me!

So however you make your plans, make sure to practice them at least twice a year. A+ Dog Training isn’t just here to teach your dog to Sit Stay and walk politely on a leash. We care about you and your family and want you to be safe with your dog in whatever situation you’re in!